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Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Clinton regrets 'wasted tomatoes' in Egypt protest

JERUSALEM (REUTERS) - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Monday she was 'not offended' by protesters in Egypt who pelted her motorcade with tomatoes, calling the demonstrations a sign of greater freedom and anxiety, and mainly regretting what she saw as wasted food.

Asked about the assault on Sunday in Alexandria, where protesters threw tomatoes, one of them hitting an Egyptian official in the face,Mrs Clinton attributed the outburst to nervousness about the changes taking place in Egypt.

'The sooner that there can be a government that takes responsibility, whose actions can be judged and held accountable, then people will be able to draw decisions because words don't mean as much as actions and therefore I was not offended,' Mrs Clinton said in Jerusalem hours after arriving from Egypt.

'I was relieved that nobody was hurt and I felt bad that good tomatoes were wasted but other than that, it was not particularly bothersome,' Mrs Clinton said.